The JCOPE punishments involving National Grid arrived after a 2012 report from the state inspector general's office detailed the inappropriate gifts provided to the two employees of the state's utility regulating agency, the Department of Public Service, the administrative arm of the Public Service Commission. The improper gifts included rounds of golf and meals over a period stretching from 2002 to 2010.

Joseph Klesin paid a fine of $1,500 and ex-employee Carlos Ortiz paid $1,000 for accepting the golf outings in violation of state ethics laws. Both resigned in early 2012 during investigations into the utility's gift-giving.

National Grid has agreed to provide ethics training to its employees as part of the settlement.

Last year, National Grid agreed to pay nearly $1.7 million to settle a case alleging violations of the state Public Service Law regarding illegal gifts.

According to the investigations, National Grid gave gifts totaling more than $7,000 to employees of the DPS's Office of Electric, Gas and Water Safety. During that time, National Grid was a registered lobbyist and filed as a lobbying client with JCOPE's predecessor agencies.

Lobbyists and lobbying clients are prohibited from offering or providing gifts to public officials unless it cannot be reasonably inferred that the gifts were intended to influence the officials.

DPS employee Steven Blaney paid a $1,500 fine to settle an ethics claim that he shared draft investigative files about a probe into a 2008 gas explosion in Queens with a consultant working for the utility that supplied the gas.